Does there exist anywhere on earth a group of people where one has not hurt another at some time? Maybe that's too large a question. So I would ask: are you a part of any group in which people never, absolutely never, do injury to another person, even by accident? You would surprise me if you could answer "Yes" to that question. All our organizations, our families, even our closest friendship groups are capable of wounding us in ways we never imagined possible. People are people wherever we find them, and today I would deliberately point out: the church is no exception.

In this community of Jesus Christ we have great expectations - or at least we once did - that the rough edges of people would be smoothed and the mean and nasty powers within each of us would be tamed. Amazingly, occasiona…